dvd review: "visions for cancer recovery"

I was asked to review this DVD "written and narrated by Mary Hallman, who researched and and developed this program based on her experiences during her recovery for fallopian tube cancer." She is also a registered nurse.

The full title of the DVD is "Visions for Cancer Recovery: A Guided Visualization and Health Meditation." It's 20 minutes long and divided into four sections: "Introduction", "Begin Body Relaxation", "Stress Release/Deeper Relaxation" and "Healing On A Deeper Level: Cancer Cell Elimination."

The DVD uses "scientifically rendered scientific imagery." I also learned a new word, "apoptosis." It's the scientific term for "cancer cell elimination." Cool, no?

What I liked about it:

• The music chosen as an introduction was appropriate and set a relaxing tone from the beginning.
  

• There was a disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD cautioning that the program is to be used in conjunction with, not instead of, more conventional cancer treatment. I very much appreciated this.

• The voice-over (by Mary Hallman) was very relaxing and reassuring.

• As I watched, I was taken from very familiar (and soothing) scenes of nature, all the way into space. We then returned from space, to think about the cells working within our bodies. I liked placing myself in context this way and enjoyed that imagery.

• I enjoyed imagining imagining any cancer cells in my body being absorbed and eradicated by the healthier ones.

• The messages repeated at the end were ones that really did speak to me and that I could see myself repeating throughout the day: "Cancer cells are not surviving...Only healthy cells survive....the body does what it needs to do."

What I didn't like:

• I couldn't get into watching a guided meditation on my television or computer screen. When I relax, I like to close my eyes. Just as I would find myself getting into the program, the voice would remind me to "keep your eyes on the screen." It just didn't work for me.

• I didn't find the visual imagery used to be very effective. The nature images were pretty but I would have enjoyed imagining my own relaxing locations much better. The other images didn't work for me at all (and there was an image of a coil that I actually found weirded me out).

The production values on the DVD seemed to me to be quite high. And it was obvious to me that the person who developed it was knowledgeable and thoughtful. Perhaps this DVD would be more useful for those who are having trouble conjuring up relaxing imagery or imagining what cancer cells look like. Or maybe some will find it soothing to have the visuals provided for them. I think, though, that I prefer audiotapes.

Or my own imagination.